SAND EXCAVATION, MUCHEA
Our client required assistance in obtaining Council approvals for sand excavation, originally as a small scale, long term operation, then as a large scale short term activity to provide sand for the construction of the Main Roads WA Northlink project.
Processes
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Development Application
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State Administrative Tribunal
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Extractive Industry License
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State Administrative Tribunal review
Our role
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Liaising with Council staff & MRWA contractors
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Preparing and lodging Development Application
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Preparing and lodging amendments to the approved DA
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Preparing the case in support of the applications and representing the client at the State Administrative Tribunal
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Liaising with the clients Lawyers in relation to the SAT
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Preparing and lodging the Extractive Industry License application
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Make presentations to Council meetings representing client
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Sourcing and organizing specialist consultants to address:
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Traffic impact and management
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Environmental impact (groundwater, vegetation, black cockatoo habitat)
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Challenges faced
The Council involved has developed policies that are more stringent than other Local Governments in relation to basic raw material extraction. This meant that obtaining the necessary approvals required extensive negotiation with Council staff and was time consuming, which presented problems for the MRWA contractors who had strict deadlines to meet for the Northlink construction. In addition to this the truck movements that accompany such an activity inevitably generates significant community concern, as they did in this case. We were able to demonstrate to the Council the importance of the project and achieved a co-operative working relationship with the Council that achieved the clients desired outcome.
